Can I mix H0 and 00 engines?

You can mix H0 et 00 engines as they run on the same gauge of track and use the same controllers with no problem whatsoever.

There are however a couple of things to consider, how important they are to you will depend on where you lie in your opinions regarding accuracy on your layout. This is because H0 and 00 are two different scales despite them being able to run on the same gauge of track and the difference between them being very slight.

00 gauge has a scale of 1:76 or put simply 1 foot is represented by 4mm whilst H0 gauge has a scale of 1:87 or 1 foot represented by 3.5mm, so what this means is that if you had two identical locomotives but one was H0 scale and one was 00 then the 00 would be slightly bigger.

Of course, it is much more likely that the two engines on your layout would be completely different types and therefore the difference in scale would not be as much of an issue, but that would be a question for the eye of the modeller.

So which is the correct scale? Technically H0 scale is more accurate because everything has been scaled down proportionately including the track that the trains run on whereas 00 scale rolling stock has not been scaled down as much as the track so for the purist modeller the track is simply too narrow.

The rationale behind the very slightly oversized 00 scale rolling stock in comparison to its track was to shoehorn early mechanisms into their casings. These casings typically replicated British locomotives which tended to be much smaller than the giants of North America that H0 scale mostly portrayed in the early years.

Consideration should also be given to the couplings when mixing H0 and 00 scale engines or rolling stock as they usually have different types.

This is because H0 tends to be more popular in continental Europe and North America whereas 00 is the scale of choice for the British. In real life coupling types vary around the world and so do the models that are portrayed by the different gauges so it is probably best to check with your supplier what your model is equipped with before you acquire your latest pride and joy.